Suicide deaths among military members increased 25% by the end of 2020 from the year before, a new report from the Defense Department shows.
Through October to December last year, 156 members of the National Guard, Reserve troops, and active-duty military personnel took their own lives, showing an increase of 125 suicides recorded in the same time frame of 2019.
The National Guard saw the highest rate of change, seeing an uptick of 25 suicide deaths. In 2020, 39 members of the National Guard took their own lives, compared to 14 in 2019.
SUICIDES DECREASED DURING PANDEMIC, DEFYING EXPECTATIONS, WHILE DRUG OVERDOSES INCREASED
Reserve deaths increased by seven, recording a total of 18 in the last three months of 2020, compared to 11 deaths the year before.
Active-duty deaths slightly decreased, recording 99 deaths in 2020 compared to 100 in 2019.
The Defense Department said it’s too early to tell if the rates increased or decreased for the full year of 2020 because numbers could change. However, if the preliminary numbers stay the same, the number of suicide deaths in 2020 would show a 13.5% increase, going from 503 in 2019 to 571 in a year largely upended by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the Military Times.
“The DOD recognizes the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of our service members and families,” the department said in its report. “We are closely monitoring potential impacts and taking proactive steps to mitigate those potential impacts. During this time, we remain dedicated in our efforts to educate the force, support the force, and emphasize social connectedness.”
Several military leaders have spoken on the correlation of suicide deaths to the pandemic.
Last fall, Air Force chief of staff Gen. Charles Brown said the pandemic added stress on military members.
“From a suicide perspective, we are on a path to be as bad as last year. And that’s not just an Air Force problem, this is a national problem because COVID adds some additional stressors, a fear of the unknown for certain folks,” Brown said.
At about the same time, James Helis, director of the Army’s resilience programs, credited virus-related isolation, in addition to financial burdens prompted by the pandemic, as potential factors in the uptick in suicides.
“We know that the measures we took to mitigate and prevent the spread of COVID could amplify some of the factors that could lead to suicide,” Helis said.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said late last September that while he couldn’t definitively point to the pandemic as the source of the increased suicides, the timing is something to keep in mind.
“I can’t say scientifically, but what I can say is, I can read a chart and a graph, and the numbers have gone up in behavioral health-related issues,” McCarthy told the Associated Press.
The Washington Examiner contacted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the department for further comment.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, they can find resources at Suicide Prevention Lifeline or the Veterans Crisis Line.
